COLLECTING THE BRONX

The BCHS collections allow for intensive examinations of the borough and represent vital sources of information for the museum visitor and researchers of metropolitan/urban history. Since its establishment in 1955 as an institution mandated to collect borough documentation and its material culture, BCHS collections have remained a vital component of its mission and play an important, ongoing role in shaping its strategic planning.

The Society’s collections deal with the 17th century to the present. Documentation of ongoing Bronx history is accomplished through donation, staff photography, news clippings, and collecting on newly emerging populations, changing demographics and the built environment. Collection materials also document later 20th century historical and economical developments such as the devastation that became a national and international symbol of urban blight in the South Bronx. The Bronx Borough’s revitalization began in the 1990s through grass-roots community advocacy, sweat equity and timely funding for urban renewal projects through fruitful governmental, educational institutions and business partnerships.